Adjacent Words

Obdurate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OB'DURATE, a. [L. obduro, to harden; ob and duro.]
1. Hardened in heart; inflexibly hard; persisting obstinately in sin or impenitence.
2. Hardened against good or favor; stubborn; unyielding; inflexible.
The custom of evil makes the heart obdurate against whatsoever instructions to the contrary.
3. Harsh; rugged; as an obdurate consonant. [Little used.]
OB'DURATE, v.t. To harden. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing [syn: cussed, obdurate, obstinate, unrepentant]
2: showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings; "his flinty gaze"; "the child's misery would move even the most obdurate heart" [syn: flinty, flint, granitic, obdurate, stony]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin obduratus, past participle of obdurare to harden, from ob- against + durus hard — more at during Date: 15th century 1. a. stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing b. hardened in feelings 2. resistant to persuasion or softening influences Synonyms: see inflexible • obdurately adverb • obdurateness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 stubborn. 2 hardened against persuasion or influence. Derivatives: obduracy n. obdurately adv. obdurateness n. Etymology: ME f. L obduratus past part. of obdurare (as OB-, durare harden f. durus hard)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Obdurate Ob"du*rate, a. [L. obduratus, p. p. of obdurare to harden; ob (see Ob-)+ durare to harden, durus hard. See Dure.] 1. Hardened in feelings, esp. against moral or mollifying influences; unyielding; hard-hearted; stubbornly wicked. The very custom of evil makes the heart obdurate against whatsoever instructions to the contrary. --Hooker. Art thou obdurate, flinty, hard as steel, Nay, more than flint, for stone at rain relenteth? --Shak. 2. Hard; harsh; rugged; rough; intractable. ``Obdurate consonants.'' --Swift. Note: Sometimes accented on the second syllable, especially by the older poets. There is no flesh in man's obdurate heart. --Cowper. Syn: Hard; firm; unbending; inflexible; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; impenitent; callous; unfeeling; insensible; unsusceptible. Usage: Obdurate, Callous, Hardened. Callous denotes a deadening of the sensibilities; as. a callous conscience. Hardened implies a general and settled disregard for the claims of interest, duty, and sympathy; as, hardened in vice. Obdurate implies an active resistance of the heart and will aganst the pleadings of compassion and humanity. -- Ob"du*rate*ly, adv. -- Ob"du*rate*ness, n.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Obdurate Ob"du*rate, v. t. To harden. [Obs.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If you describe someone as obdurate, you think that they are being unreasonable in their refusal to change their decision or opinion. (FORMAL) Parts of the administration may be changing but others have been obdurate defenders of the status quo. = obstinate ADJ [disapproval]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Hard, harsh, rugged, rough. 2. Hardened, obstinate, firm, callous, unfeeling, stubborn, unyielding, dogged, pig-headed, inflexible, inexorable, cantankerous, hardhearted, unbending, unsusceptible, insensible. 3. Depraved, graceless, shameless, reprobate, lost, impenitent, irreclaimable, incorrigible.

Moby Thesaurus

adamant, asleep, benumbed, bony, brazen, callous, calloused, case-hardened, cement, cemental, cold, cold of heart, coldblooded, coldhearted, concrete, conscienceless, corneous, dead, deadened, dense, diamondlike, dogged, dour, dull, dure, firm, flinthearted, flintlike, flinty, fundamentalist, granitelike, granitic, hard, hard as nails, hard of heart, hard-bitten, hard-boiled, hard-nosed, hard-set, hardened, hardhearted, heartless, hidebound, horny, immovable, impassible, impenitent, imperceptive, impercipient, impliable, indurated, inexorable, inflexible, insensate, insensible, insensitive, insentient, insolent, inured, iron, iron-hard, ironbound, ironclad, ironhanded, ironlike, lapideous, lithoid, lithoidal, lost to shame, marble, marblelike, mulish, muscle-bound, numb, numbed, obstinate, obtuse, orthodox, osseous, procrustean, purist, puristic, puritan, puritanic, relentless, resistant, resistive, rigid, rigorist, rigoristic, rigorous, rockbound, rocklike, rocky, seared, shameless, solid, steellike, steely, stiff, stiff-necked, stonelike, stony, stonyhearted, straightlaced, straitlaced, stubborn, thick-skinned, thick-witted, tough, unabject, unbending, unblushing, uncompassionate, uncompromising, uncontrite, unemotional, unfeeling, unfelt, unmelted, unmerciful, unnatural, unperceptive, unrelenting, unrepentant, unrepenting, unresponsive, unsoftened, unsympathetic, untouched, unyielding